April 16, 2008

G.V. Loganathan

The high regard and fondness that students in the Via Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering feel for Dr. G.V. Loganathan is a reflection of the fact that they were his top priority. Phrases such as “the best professor I ever had,” “the kindest person I’ve ever met,” and “incredibly wise and gentle” are common among the tributes paid to Dr. Loganathan by undergraduate and graduate students.

Born in the state of Tamil Nadu, India, in 1954, G.V. attended Madras University and the Indian Institute of Technology in Kanpur before journeying to the U.S., where he earned a Ph.D. in civil engineering at Purdue University.

In December 1981, he joined the faculty of Virginia Tech and embarked on a remarkable career as one of the university’s most accomplished educators and one of the nation’s most respected researchers in the fields of hydrology and water resources systems.

Dr. Loganathan published more than 150 peer-reviewed papers in major water resources journals throughout the U.S. and abroad. His research findings have been used extensively by municipal water supply professionals.

Much of Dr. Loganathan’s time was devoted to training future generations of engineers and engineering faculty. In addition to the multitude of undergraduates who learned the principles and practices of water resources engineering under his guidance were numerous graduate students. G.V. directly supervised about 50 Ph.D. and master’s degree students at Virginia Tech, and many of them have flourished as faculty members at major universities.

Virginia Tech recognized Dr. Loganathan’s talent as an educator and his exceptional devotion to students by presenting him with virtually every teaching honor offered by the university, including the 2006 W.E. Wine Award for Excellence in Teaching, as well as four College of Engineering awards and the Via department’s Outstanding Faculty Award.

“Professor Loganathan was an exemplary educator who cared greatly for his students and their well-being,” said Dr. William R. Knocke, head of the Via department. “He was a kind soul, pure in heart, who taught us through his words and actions how to answer the calling to be a teacher, a mentor, and a beloved friend.”

Dr. Loganathan is survived by his wife, Usha, and his daughters, Uma and Abhi, who characterized him in his obituary as “the best father a daughter could hope to have, and a loving husband.”

G.V. Loganathan

Residence in BlacksburgProfessor, Civil and Environmental EngineeringJoined Virginia Tech on December 16, 1981